Pan-roasted guinea fowl with truffles and leek recipe

In France, when we have the combination of truffles and potatoes in a dish, we talk about the rich mixing with the poor! Truffles can be expensive, but you don’t need much and the addition can transform the simple into the spectacular. You can also freeze them if you have any left over. For this dish you can use chicken, but I find guinea fowl has so much more texture and flavour. Originally a wild bird, it has since been farmed – which I am glad about, otherwise people would really have missed out.

Ingredients

4 breasts of guinea fowl (or chicken if you prefer)

2 Small black winter truffles, thinly sliced

3 tbsp Olive oil

1 Leek or 3 baby leeks, green parts only, thinly sliced

300 g Small new potatoes, cut into 5mm/1/4-in thick rounds

100 g Pancetta, thinly sliced

2 Chevril or flat-leaf parsley sprigs, roughly chopped

100 g Butter

1 pinch Sea salt

1 pinch Freshly ground black pepper

4 breasts of guinea fowl (or chicken if you prefer)

2 Small black winter truffles, thinly sliced

3 tbsp Olive oil

1 Leek or 3 baby leeks, green parts only, thinly sliced

10.6 oz Small new potatoes, cut into 5mm/1/4-in thick rounds

3.5 oz Pancetta, thinly sliced

2 Chevril or flat-leaf parsley sprigs, roughly chopped

3.5 oz Butter

1 pinch Sea salt

1 pinch Freshly ground black pepper

4 breasts of guinea fowl (or chicken if you prefer)

2 Small black winter truffles, thinly sliced

3 tbsp Olive oil

1 Leek or 3 baby leeks, green parts only, thinly sliced

10.6 oz Small new potatoes, cut into 5mm/1/4-in thick rounds

3.5 oz Pancetta, thinly sliced

2 Chevril or flat-leaf parsley sprigs, roughly chopped

3.5 oz Butter

1 pinch Sea salt

1 pinch Freshly ground black pepper

Details

Cuisine: French

Recipe Type: Main

Difficulty: Medium

Preparation Time: 40 mins

Cooking Time: 15 mins

Serves: 4

Step-by-step

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas 4.

Slit the skin of the guinea fowl breasts and place 3 thin slices of truffle underneath. Fold the skin back over the breast and season both sides with salt and pepper.

Cut the remaining truffle slices into thin julienne strips and set aside for the vegetables.

Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in an ovenproof frying pan over a medium heat, add the guinea fowl, skin-side down, and cook for 2-3 minutes, until golden - make sure the pan is not too hot so that the skin does not shrink back too much. Turn the guinea fowl over and cook for a further minute, then place in the oven for 8 minutes.

When ready, remove the breasts from the oven, put on a plate, set aside and keep warm.

While the guinea fowl is in the oven, heat two pans of salted water until boiling, drop the leeks in one and cook for 1 minute. Drain, refresh in ice cold water and drain once more. Put the potatoes in the other pan of boiling water, cook for 6 minutes, then add the pancetta and cook for a further 2 minutes. Drain, refresh in ice-cold water and drain again.

Heat a frying pan over a medium heat, add the remaining olive oil, potatoes and pancetta and cook for 1-2 minutes, until golden brown. Add the leek, a pinch of the reserved truffle and the chevril to the frying pan, then drain off any fat, add 2-3 tablespoons of water and stir to make a sauce. Add the butter to the remaining truffle and cook until the butter has melted.

Cut each breast in half lengthways. Place some of the leek and potato mixture in the middle of each serving plate, put the guinea fowl on top and pour the truffle butter sauce over.